The present application relates to a printing system and method, in which file data described in Page-Description Language (PDL) is directly printed, and a recording medium.
With the recent development of electrophotographic page printers suitable for smaller, higher-speed digital printing, there has been more and more prevailing the printing processor using the description language that can deal with raster, graphic, characters, etc. as well as character information as in the conventional printers all in a similar manner and freely control the manipulation such as enlargement, rotation, deformation, etc. of graphics, characters, etc.
The description languages of this type include PDF (Portable Document Format) represented by Acrobat (trademark of Adobe Systems), GDI (Graphics Device Interface: trademark of Microsoft), etc. and PDL (Page-Description Language) represented by PostScript (trademark of Adobe Systems).
The personal computer (will be referred to as “PC” hereunder) can send a document file stored in a hard disk, for example, to a printer via a network such as LAN or the like for printing.
In this case, the document file is normally converted by a printer driver installed in PC into print data described in PDL such as PostScript (trademark of Adobe Systems) that can be interpreted by a printer and then sent to the printer.
On the other hand, as a document file to be distributed over the Internet, there have widely been prevailing PDF files that can be reproduced in the same format as that of their original documents irrespectively of the types of hardware and application. Including objects that can be arranged in the file in an order different from that of pages and reference information indicative of positions of the objects in the file, the PDF file defines a page formed from a predetermined object.
Some of such PDF files carry, for example, several hundred pages of data. If a PDF file having data of such a large size is converted by PC into print data, the conversion itself will take much time, complicate processing of such print data, and result in such an increased size of the print data that will take increased time for transfer. Namely, PC will be more heavily loaded. To reduce such an increased load to PC, there has been proposed a printer capable of directly printing a PDF file sent from PC to a printer without being converted into printed data (will be referred to as “PDF direct print” hereunder).
In a PDF file, however, objects as to data to be printed can be arranged irrespectively of the order of pages and reference information indicative of the positions of the objects in the file is laid in the end portion of the file, so that the printer cannot start any printing of the data before having received the whole PDF file. Therefore, the printer cannot receive the whole PDF file and thus cannot print the data since the capacity (usable capacity or free space) of the memory installed therein is insufficient in some cases.
In connection with this problem, there is known an apparatus adapted to change the content of a PDF file for reconstruction so that received data can be displayed on a display in the order of reception even before the whole PDF file is received.
Also, there is a print layout application in which various original documents prepared using an application program are arranged into one document for easier management of the documents themselves and output management.
In the print layout application, after original documents to be printed are taken in as a text, the text is normally fixed so that texts of the original documents cannot be compiled. The print layout application could be used to make only compilation concerning the document format, such as setting of a layout, appending of finishing information, appending of document format or the like.
In case an electronic document prepared based on PDF is printed, a dedicated utility is used to actually send a PDF file to a printer and print the PDF file by the printer.
When the user instructs the utility for an option depending upon a drawing pattern such as “tint block”, “watermark” or the like at this time of printing, the utility will normally select one of the following two modes:
Mode 1:
No direct change is made of a PDF document and information for turning on a function to print “tint-block”, “watermark” or the like of the printer to data to be printed is appended to a part of job information other than PDF file.
In Mode 1, the printer cannot print any picture other than can be printed or it is prohibited in other ways. Also, in case the printer itself is not adapted to address the functions “tint block” and “watermark”, it cannot perform such functions.
Mode 2:
The utility analyzes a PDF document, changes the PFD document taking a user-desired pattern, character, “tint block” or “watermark” as a part of the PDF document and sends data to the printer.
In mode 2, various options can be added to the utility. Therefore, this mode is considered as a system whose future extension is possible.
However, even when functions are added to the utility for changeability of the PDF file, the utility is normally distributed free of charge.
Also, since sending a utility output to a PDF-compatible direct printer manufactured by any maker other than that developed the utility will lead to the same result, a system will possibly be built up from a combination of a utility developed by a printer maker and the printer manufactured by the other maker. It should be noted here that a printer maker having developed the utility will be referred to as “original maker” hereunder while a printer maker other than the original maker will be referred to as “other maker”.
Also, in case a PDF file or format is changed for appending a tint block or watermark, the result of printing will be such that change of the layout, for example, will result in a tint block or watermark different in size from the appended one. The “layout change” means “N-UP” (in which one printed sheet includes a plurality of pages such as 2UP or 4UP), catalog print (page sorting of such a type that in case of a PDF file for 8 pages, pages 1 and 8 printed on one sheet, pages 2 and 3 printed on one sheet, pages 4 and 5 printed on one sheet and pages 6 and 7 printed on one sheet are folded and bound to form a one book) or booklet print (page sorting of such a type that in case of a PDF file for 8 pages, pages 1 and 8, pages 7 and 2, pages 3 and 6 and pages 5 and 4 are printed on one sheet, respectively). In this case, if one tint block is appended to each page, the size of finished printed page will be reduced in size with the result that the tint block will not possibly be readable even if significant.
Also, in case a layout is changed and tint block and watermark are appended, the tint block will be reduced in size and each will have the watermark, which will not be as intended by the user.
Further, the utility is not developed uniquely to each printer model but it is made in common to all models. In case one engine is a little different in performance from another, the tint block or watermark data will appear different from one to another depending upon the engine performance.
Even if an adjusting mechanism is provided in the utility, when the utility is used with another printer, the engine performance will be different from the present engine to the previous one and the utility have to be readjusted for use with the present printer.